Seal of Approval
by StBridget
Summary: Charlie draws a special picture for Steve. Steve likes it so much, he gets it tattooed. Danny likes it so much, he wants one, too.


**Hawaii Five-0 is property of CBS and its creators.  
**

 **I wrote a version of this trope for MacDalton over on AO3 (Designs on My Heart), and bswindle20 asked for one for McDanno, so here you go!**

 **Design inspired by TheSweetPsychopath's drawing "Plushies" on AO3  
**

Danny found it when he was tearing apart Steve's desk looking for the requisition the SEAL should have signed a week ago. Danny didn't find the requisition; he did, however, find a piece of paper with what looked to be seal in a tie, done in a familiar childish scrawl, with a more refined version clipped to the corner. That Charlie had drawn a picture for Steve was not unusual; Charlie drew pictures for Steve just as often as he did for Danny, and many of them were for both men. The seal was clearly meant to represent Steve, but the tie perplexed Danny. Danny wore ties, not Steve; Steve hated them and only wore them when he had to. And why had the picture been redone?

Danny asked Steve about it when the SEAL returned to the office. Steve blushed and rubbed his neck. "It's a picture of a seal. Charlie drew it for me."

"I know that," Danny said, impatiently. "Why's it wearing a tie?"

"Charlie saw the tie you got me for the Governor's Gala last month," Steve explained. "He asked if it was yours, and I said, no, it was mine. He said he thought I hated ties, and I said, I did, but you had given it to me, so it was special. So, he drew it on the seal."

Danny's eyes teared up. He wasn't sure what touched him more—that Steve thought the tie was special, or that Charlie had put it on the seal. It was all Danny could do not to say "Awwww." Instead, he said, "Charlie's pretty sharp for a five-year-old. But why'd you redraw it?"

Steve blushed even harder. "I thought maybe I'd get it tattooed over my heart, so I'd have something that's me and you. It's even more special because Charlie drew it."

Danny was floored. He didn't think Steve had it in him—the SEAL was much more of an action guy, not given to romantic gestures. Not that Danny minded—Steve did an excellent job of showing Danny how much the other man meant to him every night in bed, sometimes more than once. This, though, this was. . .Danny didn't have words to describe how much this meant to him. "Wow, babe, that's really sweet," was the best he could come up with. "Does Charlie know?"

Steve nodded. "I asked him. He said he thought it was cool. I made him promise not to tell you—it was supposed to be a surprise. I didn't think you'd go snooping around my desk."

"I wouldn't have to if you did your paperwork like you're supposed to," Danny pointed out, a little self-righteously. His mind went back to the design, and he was struck by an idea. "Do you think. . .that is, would you mind if I got one, too?"

Steve scrunched his nose. "I don't know, Danny, I don't think it'd show up very well with that Chewbacca chest of yours."

Steve had a point. Danny refused to give up on the idea, though. "I could put it higher up, on my collar bone. I could still put it where it would be mostly hidden by my shirt."

Steve beamed. "I like it," he said. "I like it a lot."

So did Danny.

A week later, it was done. Kamekona (of course) had recommended one of the best tattoo artists on the island who just happened to be one of his cousins (naturally). Danny had to admit the man did a bang up job. The seals were identical except for the tie—Steve's was maroon and green striped like the one Danny had gotten him, and Danny's was a brilliant blue to match his favorite tie from Steve.

They showed them off to the kids that night. Grace and Charlie wanted to go swimming, and Danny and Steve had to beg off.

"Why not?" Charlie pouted.

"Yeah, why not?" Grace echoed. "Danno I understand, but you love to swim, Uncle Steve."

"Danny and I got tattoos today," Steve said. "We can't go in the water for a couple of days."

Grace looked confused. "Why'd you get tattoos? I thought you said you weren't getting any more, Uncle Steve, and Danno, you said you couldn't understand why people would voluntarily subject themselves to that kind of torture."

"Let's just say we found something that changed our minds," Danny said.

"What?" Charlie asked.

Steve crouched down to the boy's level. "Remember that picture you drew me, that I said I wanted to put over my heart?" Charlie nodded solemnly. "That's what I got. Danno liked it so much he wanted one, so he got one, too."

"Really?" Charlie said, clearly delighted.

"Well, let's see," Grace ordered. She flushed. "Unless it's like on your ass or, you know. I don't need to see that much of you, thank you very much."

Danny chuckled. "Don't worry, it's nowhere like that. Mine's on my collar bone, and Steve's is on his chest."

"So, show us," Grace repeated.

The men stripped off their shirts and stood there, awkwardly. Neither wanted to admit how much both kids' opinion meant to them. Grace inspected them, critically. "I like them," she declared.

"I can't see," Charlie pouted. "It's too high, and they're too little."

Grace lifted her brother up so he could see. "That's my picture?" he asked.

"It sure is, buddy," Steve said.

Charlie reached out to touch, but Danny grabbed his hand. "You can't touch for a few days," he said. "It hurts."

"I could kiss it and make it better," Charlie said.

Steve chuckled. "That's okay, buddy, we'll live."

"Can I get one?" Charlie asked.

"Not for a while yet, buddy," Danny said.

"Tell you what, we'll get some body paint, and I'll paint one," Grace offered.

Charlie's face lit up. "Can I have a squirrel?"

"Sure," Grace said.

"Can I have it now?"

"Supper first," Danny said, firmly. "Go wash up."

The kids raced off. Danny started to put his shirt back on but was stopped by Steve's finger tracing his collar bone. "I really like that you have something of me, Danny," Steve said, voice husky.

Danny traced the mark on Steve's chest in turn. "Me, too, babe, me, too."


End file.
